Book on Lighting

[minatophase3]

Can anyone recommend a good book on lighting techniques? At some point I would like to setup a small studio in my house to primarily take pictures of my girls. I am very confused on what I would need for a basic studio setup, flash, strobe, hot lights, soft boxes, alien bees, reflectors, umbrellas, etc :shock: .

So, if anyone can recommend a book to help clear up my confusion I would appreciate it.

Thanks,
Tim

[Ken Fong]

I have recently read and applied "The Portrait Photographer's Guide to Posing" by Bill Hurter at a recent wedding where I brought a portable portrait setup with me to the church site. Chapter 8 has a section on studio (indoor) and outdoor lighting. The instructions were very easy to follow and the results were pretty good. Their posing techniques are great. Most of what they were saying was pretty much in line with what I read online and with this forum. I now look forward to bringing my same portrait gear to my friends' houses for onsite portrait work.

My gear setup was:
- 60" Photogenic 'eclipse' white umbrella with black cover (Main) $33 at B&H
- 45" Photogenic 'eclipse' white umbrella with black cover (Fill) $24
- 2 6' lightstands at $23 each
- 2 umbrella adapters with flash shoe mounts at $15 each
- 1 Canon 550EX (for MAIN)
- 1 Canon 420EX (for FILL)
- 1 Canon ST-E2 (set for a 3:1 ratio)
- 1 60" duffle bag from REI
- additional straps with quick release to bind gear together for transport
- I used a 1.4 50mm and a 2.8 24-70mm lens (85mm lens was not used because I have a 10D...I think I would have lost too much light.)

The umbrellas can double as softboxes if you 'shoot through' them after removing the black covers; however, with my few test shots, the softbox light seemed hard and cold compared to the reflector...maybe I wasn't doing it right.

You will probably also need a tall tripod (camera reaches up to your eye level if standing) if you plan to do portraits of adults who are standing. The book covers the correct height of the camera for different portrait situations...and if you get that, you will need a shutter relase cable (Canon RS-80N3 for EOS digital cameras).

Probably the other thing you would want to consider is a backdrop/backlight or even a 'hairlight'. One person on this forum recommended colored fleece blankets as economical backdrops because they absorb light very well.

[geisha]

hi tim,

an easy way is to stick white tissue paper over any lighting you do have to make it diffuse (for portraits).
xxxxxx